


Pet

by ssa_archivist



Category: Smallville
Genre: First Time, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-02-20
Updated: 2004-02-20
Packaged: 2017-11-01 09:55:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/355267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ssa_archivist/pseuds/ssa_archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A school assignment leads to a surprising end.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pet

## Pet

by Lady Krystal

[]()

* * *

Clark scowled. What kind of dumb experiment was this? 'Be someone's pet for a day.' It sounded like a silly idea to him. What could he possibly learn for his humanities studies from letting someone boss him around? And who could be his 'owner'? He'd feel silly taking orders from Pete or Chloe, and Lana...that wasn't an image he wished to contemplate. That only left his parents or...Lex. He knew he could take Lex telling him what to do. Lex was so commanding by nature that Clark naturally followed his lead. He would ask him after school. 

* * *

"You want me to _what_?!" Lex had nearly choked on the water he was drinking when Clark had calmly asked if he could be his 'pet'. 

"It's this stupid assignment from school. We have to pretend to be somebody's pet for a day." Clark was watching Lex closely. He hadn't expected quite the reaction he had gotten. "I'd feel really dumb down on all fours and begging for Pete's attention." 

Lex's eyes glazed over. Clark. On all fours. _Begging_! "And you wouldn't feel so silly with me?" 

Clark blushed. "No. You're like, um, like a commander, like..." 

"It's alright, Clark. I get the idea. Sure, I'll help you out." Lex had gained control of his wayward thoughts. He could do this. He could treat Clark like a pet, and somehow manage to keep his hands off him at the same time. "I had a puppy once. I took real good care of it." 

For a moment there, Lex had sounded like a little child, and Clark was almost afraid to ask, "What happened to it?" 

"My father told me Luthor's don't own mongrels. He made me take it to the pound. I learned later that he ordered to have it destroyed." Lex's voice remained steady. Clark ached for him. 

"Lex, I'm so sorry. We don't have to do this. I'll ask someone else." 

"No." Lex said. Trust Clark to instantly understand what he'd been trying not to say. That was why he would do this. 

"Are you sure?" Troubled green eyes were such a turn-on, Lex reflected. 

"I'm sure, Clark. Come over on Saturday." Maybe by then he would work out what to do with the purest bred 'pet' any Luthor had ever 'owned'. 

* * *

Saturday came around quickly. Clark made some excuses to his parents about homework that only Lex could help him with. They would assume it was science or maths, or maybe history. He didn't care, as long as they didn't ask him about specifics. How would he ever explain to them that he would be at Lex's beck and call all day? His father would have a heart attack! 

When he entered Lex's office, he had to admit he was a little nervous. What would Lex make him do? What were the rules here? He sat down and waited for Lex to look up from his computer screen. It didn't take long, but still Lex apologised. "Sorry about that Clark. I wanted to get that finished before we started on your little...project. Now I think it's important that we lay some ground rules, don't you?" 

It seemed to Clark that Lex was always reading his mind. "Yes, that's a good idea." 

"Okay. We won't have you barking or anything foolish like that, but you won't speak unless spoken to. You can sit at my feet, but make yourself comfortable. If you need to go to the bathroom, just go. And when you walk around, please walk upright, not on your hands and knees. Obedience will be rewarded, disobedience will be punished. How does that sound?" Lex had thought long and hard about this. He had no desire to make a fool of Clark, but some things were necessary for the purpose of the exercise. 

"Punished how?" Clark asked suspiciously. 

Lex gave him a smirk that promised many devilish things, but asked, "How would you like to be punished, Clark?" 

Clark had to swallow. Lex talking about punishment, in that low, sexy voice sent shivers down his spine. He was just beginning to understand what a dangerous situation he had put himself in. The half-remembered dreams of the past few nights came flooding back to him, and he wanted to blush. Lex had figured prominently in those dreams, and he had been taking very, _very_ good care of his pet. "Ahhh..." What was a safe answer here? 

"Never mind. We'll work something out if the need arises. I suspect you'll be an obedient pet." How did Lex manage to make everything sound sensual? "Come." Lex ordered, and without a thought, Clark jumped up and went to him. He was surprised at himself, but Lex was smiling as though he had expected nothing less. "Good. Now sit." Clark slowly lowered himself to the ground, tried several different positions, and then settled for lying on his side with his head cushioned on his arms. The clicking of Lex's typing reached his ears and he sighed. He suspected he was going to be here for a while. 

* * *

The morning passed rather slowly as Lex worked at his desk and Clark drifted in and out of daydreams at his feet. Then Lex's housekeeper brought in lunch. Clark was rather embarrassed to be caught out lying about on the floor like this, but she winked and told him to 'Stay'. Obviously Lex had warned his staff what was going on. That was when Clark realised he was starving and that pets usually only got fed at night. He frowned and looked up at Lex. 

Lex caught his regard and smiled. "Don't worry, Clark. I'll feed you." And he did. Out of his own hand. He'd break off a bit of sandwich and hold it out for Clark to take. When they had eaten all the sandwiches, Lex popped a chocolate in his mouth, and Clark waited expectantly. "I realise chocolate isn't good for dogs, but I think in this circumstance we can bend the rules a little. You've been very good so far." Lex held out the chocolate, but Clark realised there was no way he could take it without touching Lex's fingers. Lex had one of his vague, amused smiles on his face. He knew what he was doing. So Clark gently took the chocolate _and_ Lex's fingers into his mouth. The two flavours burst across his tongue and without thinking he lapped out for more. "Good." Lex murmured, and drew back his fingers, then put them in his own mouth. Clark's eyes went wide and he felt the blood rushing low in his body. Lex hummed low in his throat. "Mmmmm. _Very_ good." 

Suddenly, Lex stood up. "Come on. It must be time for a walk." 

Clark felt almost dizzy with relief. He'd been so bored. With a grin, he too stood up, grateful that the swelling at his groin was barely discernable and diminishing now that Lex had stopped tormenting him. He didn't realise that he also looked the part of the happy puppy that had just been promised his master's attention. Lex kept that particular observation to himself. 

In the garden, Lex picked up a football and threw it. Clark had time to admire the skill of the throw before Lex called out, "Fetch!" Clark looked at him in disbelief for a moment, then, seeing Lex was serious, he ran off to collect the ball. It was like playing catch, except Lex continually, deliberately, threw the ball over Clark's head, so he was forced to run after it every time. Then, it landed in the pond. Clark looked at Lex once again, sure that his friend couldn't mean to send him swimming after it. Lex was smiling evilly. "Fetch it, Clark." 

Clark turned and headed after the ball. He plunged into the water, which was surprisingly cold considering the mildness of the weather right now. Having retrieved the ball, he headed back to Lex. Then he did the one thing that he would later remember as his undoing. He dropped the ball at Lex's feet and shook himself violently. Water flew in all directions, but most of it landed on Lex. 

Lex cursed and narrowed his eyes. Clark now understood a dog's desire to cower and roll onto its back. Lex's hand came up, and Clark flinched, expecting a blow. Instead, Lex chuckled, low and deep and, so help him, darkly promising. "That was a very naughty thing to do, Clark, but I would never hit you. No, I shall devise something much more suitable later." 

Clark shivered as Lex stroked his face. He actually whimpered when those long, clever fingers brushed over his lips. Immediately the hand disappeared, and Clark opened the eyes that he hadn't even realised he'd shut. Lex was looking at him consideringly, his eyes gone deep, stormy grey-blue. "Kneel." Lex murmured, and Clark, caught in that powerful regard, did so without thought. Lex stepped forward and cupped Clarke's head in his hands, tilting it so Clark was looking up at him, and then he brushed over Clark's lips again, softly. Those lips tingled at the contact, and when Lex repeated the movement, Clark's whole body shook. Clark caught the wicked glint in Lex's eyes a moment before he swiped across his lips again, only this time, Lex pressed hard against the sensitized flesh. Clark cried out and tried to pull away, but Lex held his head steady. 

"Be still, Clark. I won't hurt you. Not more than you can bear." And that scared Clark, for he didn't know what he could bear. He panicked. 

"Lex, please, no." It didn't occur to Clark that he could leave whenever he wished. So enthralled by Lex and the power of his aura, he forgot that he was super strong, super fast. He forgot everything but the look in Lex's eyes, promising pleasure dark and dangerous. 

That look disappeared at Clark's words, and Clark realised Lex had been lost in the moment as much as he. Lex stepped back, letting Clark go. "Sorry. I'm sorry, Clark. I didn't mean..." 

"It's okay, Lex. Really." Clark was sorry too, sorry that Lex had stopped touching him. 

"No. I shouldn't have done that, said that." Clark could literally see Lex withdrawing into himself. So he reached out, desperate to stop the retreat. 

"Lex, I...I liked it." And Clark knew that admission could get him into all sorts of trouble, but he didn't care. It was the truth. For once, he was determined to tell the truth to Lex. 

"Oh really? Then why did you tell me to stop?" He had a point there. Clark realised he was going to have to reveal more of himself than he had thought. 

"I...I panicked. You were looking, and touching, and I...I just didn't know what to do, or what to expect to come next..." He was rambling, but Lex seemed to understand what he was trying to say, for his eyes softened, and a small, gentle smile curved his lips. 

"Okay, Clark. I think I know what happened. We'll take everything really slow." Take what everything slow? Clark was almost afraid to contemplate what Lex might mean by that statement. "Come on, it's time to go back in. And your punishment still awaits." Clark had thought it was punishment he was receiving a minute ago. What could Lex possibly have in mind now? He remembered his role, however, and did not ask, just followed Lex inside. When he once again sat on the carpet under Lex's desk, uncomfortable in his still mainly wet clothes, Lex opened the drawer and took out a box. He opened it and tilted it so Clark could see inside. It was a collar. The breath stopped in Clark's throat. Lex wanted to put a collar on him? Lex raised an eyebrow in question, and Clark gave a jerky nod. 

The leather was stiffer than Clark had imagined, and it sat snug around his throat. Lex fastened it quickly and sat back, smiling at his handiwork. Clark felt imprisoned in a way he hadn't imagined possible. "It's tight." He dared to comment. Lex just smiled wider. 

"Yes. It's meant to be. Not tight enough to choke you, but tight enough to remind you it's there every time you move, or swallow. It's not so much meant to hurt as to teach. You don't like it, because it is restrictive, and that is what makes it the perfect punishment." Lex's voice had taken on that note that told you he was teaching you something important. Clark briefly wondered who had taught Lex this particular lesson, then decided it was probably safer not to dwell on it. 

Clark settled back down on the carpet. He was probably ruining it with pond water, but Lex hadn't said anything. Lex was right about the collar. Every movement, every breath he took, pressed the collar against his skin, but it wasn't a reminder of what he had done wrong so much as a reminder of what had happened in the garden. The feel of Lex's fingers across his lips, of his hand twined through his hair, the look of pure desire in his eyes, that was what Clark was remembering. It was slowly driving him insane. He wanted more. He suspected he wanted Lex to do to him all those things the boys in the locker room hinted at, the things they said Lex had done before. They'd told him he had a cocksucker's mouth, and he suspected Lex thought the same thing, because he knew it was true. 

Uncomfortable, even though mostly dry now, and unbearably aroused by his own thoughts, Clark decided enough was enough and he would take things into his own hands. Getting up on all fours, he moved around in front of Lex, and then nuzzled at his knees, insistently trying to push between them. 

"Clark?" Lex sounded slightly amused. "Did you want something?" 

"Lex." He whispered. 

"Yes?" Still amused. 

"Please." He couldn't say what he wanted, no matter how hard he tried. He could feel the tears of frustration welling in his eyes. Lex saw them and immediately became concerned. 

"Please what? You want the collar off? Is it too tight? Is it hurting you?" Lex reached out, but Clark shook his head. Clark was begging with his eyes, begging for something Lex hadn't realised until today that Clark was capable of wanting. "You want me to touch you, Clark, is that it? Touch you, and...caress you, maybe even kiss you?" 

"Yes. Please, Lex." Clark was shaking, so Lex moved slowly, gently cupping Clark's head in his hands as he had done before. Clark stared up, enraptured by the heat of Lex's gaze, excited and terrified as he watched Lex's mouth moving closer and closer. Then their lips met, and his eyes closed. Looking into those brilliant blue eyes, turned electric with desire, was too much at this scant distance. 

Lex drew away only far enough to whisper against Clark's lips. "You know I want this, Clark, but is it really what you want? The one thing I've learned today is that you are one of the most submissive people I've ever met. I don't want you to submit to me in this, I want you to want it as well." 

"I want you." Clark admitted. 

Lex kissed him in reply, and this time there was nothing held back. Lex was an experienced kisser, Clark had known this, but the knowledge didn't even come close to the reality. His mouth moved in ways Clark hadn't known was possible, let alone pleasurable. His tongue was rough against Clark's lips, but his teeth were sharp, and Clark's mouth opened with a cry. Lex took advantage of this, lapping his tongue deep into the cavern of Clark's mouth, as though trying to drink him in, consume him. Clark was losing his grip on reality. When Lex pulled away, Clark almost sobbed at the loss. "Lex..." 

"Easy, Clark, I'm not going anywhere, but this is even better if you kiss me back." It took a moment for Clark to focus on the words and make sense of their meaning, but when he did, leaned eagerly into Lex's mouth and tried to copy the things Lex had done to him. This time, when Lex pulled away, he was gasping. "You learn really fast, Clark." 

"I have a good teacher." Clark managed to tease. Lex gave a low chuckle. It made Clark tingle from head to foot. "Teach me more?" 

"I'll teach you all you want, Clark. Do you want to move this to the bedroom?" Lex's eyes were carefully hooded, not wanting to influence Clark's decision. He needn't have worried, Clark knew what he wanted. 

"Really?" Clark couldn't seem to get his mind around the fact that Lex - smartest, strongest, most inaccessible person he knew - wanted him. What would the sophisticated Metropolitan want with the country farm boy? Yet, he did. 

"Really, Clark." Lex understood Clark's dilemma. "Don't you know that I've wanted you almost from the first moment I met you? You were all wet and worried. Your eyes were shimmering emerald, and your lips had just been on mine, breathing life back into me, forcing me to come back, back to you. I told you our friendship would be the stuff of legends, but you didn't understand what I meant, not really. I was thinking of Alexander and Hephaistion, Achilles and Patroclos, Apollo and Hyacinthus, Hercules And Nestor. The love of gods and kings and heroes, that is what I wanted for us." 

"Wow, Lex. From the very beginning?" 

"I, unlike you, have known love, or at the very least sex, in many forms. When I looked at you, I knew my desire for what it was. I would never have touched you, though, if I hadn't seen something to match it in you." Lex was solemn, and Clark understood why. 

"I value our friendship above everything, too, Lex. I don't want that to change. This won't change it, will it?" 

"Of course it will, but only for the better. Love runs deeper than friendship, but to have both is rare and amazing." To have Lex looking so deeply into him while he spoke of love, to see the desire sparking in the blue, blue eyes while quick, clever fingers caressed him, was almost more than Clark could bear. 

"Please, Lex. The bedroom." 

Lex smiled, a smile Clark knew only he was privileged enough to see, a smile that was truly Lex, not some parody pulled out to mislead. Taking his hand, Lex lead him down the hall to his bedroom. Clark only had time to think that this room, unlike the rest of the castle, very much belonged to Lex. From the organised clutter and the unmade bed, Clark deduced that not even a maid was allowed in here to clean. This was Lex's private domain, but he would share it with Clark. Then Lex was pulling him toward the decadently large bed and pushing him down onto it. To his surprise, the sheets were simple cotton. Somehow, this made Clark more comfortable. 

"I like your room, Lex." Clark told him. Lex looked surprised, but then gave him that delighted smile once again. 

"I'm glad, Clark." Lex moved, quick as a cat, and straddled Clark. Lowering himself, he rocked, once, against Clark, then leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Now, do you want this slow and tortuous..." He rocked, arousal to arousal, once again. "...or hot and quick?" 

Clark whimpered. He was already hard. In fact, he was afraid his zipper was going to break with the strain any moment. The feel of Lex, equally hard, even through layers of clothing, was sending shocks shooting through his body. "Fasssst." He managed to hiss as Lex made another sinuous movement over him. 

"Okay." Quicker than Clark thought anyone without super speed could move, Lex had climbed off him and started unbuttoning his shirt. Clark watched, panting as inch by inch, Lex revealed the smooth pale perfection of his chest. Lex paused long enough to suggest he undress too, then went on to remove the rest of his clothing. Clark was still undoing his shirt when Lex knelt, naked beside him. "You're too slow, Clark." Lex murmured, his voice gone deeper than usual. He reached out and moved Clark's hands out of the way, and then took over where the boy had left off. Lex, Clark decided, had a real way with clothing. Before too long, Lex had them both naked. 

"Lex, wait." Clark gasped out. 

Pulling back, ready for a complete withdrawal, Lex said, "I thought you wanted fast." 

"I do, but I also want to get a look at you." For Lex naked was something to behold. The statues of the people Lex had named could not compare to pale perfection kneeling beside him. Lex was all smooth, long muscle under taut, silky skin. There was no hair to mar the view from head to foot. His blue eyes were sparkling in the dimness of encroaching dusk, lit from within with Lex's own fire. "Wow, Lex. You're beautiful." Then he blushed. Had he really just called Lex beautiful? 

Lex smiled. "You should see what I'm looking at. Then you would know true beauty. ' _When Beauty and Beauty meet, All naked, fair to fair, The earth is crying-sweet, And scattering-bright the air, Eddying, dizzying, closing round, With soft and drunken laughter, Veiling all that may befall, After - after -_ ' How did they know back then what we are only just discovering today?" Lex realised he was being fanciful and romantic, but thought that maybe, just maybe, it was justified. Laying before him, splendidly naked, was all his most fervent, secret wishes come true. Farm chores apparently did wonders for the physique. There wasn't an ounce of spare fat on Clark, he was all muscle and warm, satin flesh. Lex longed to touch, so he did. He reached out and caressed the concave plain of Clark's belly. The muscles there reacted to his touch, rippling, and making Clark gasp. Lex smiled in delight and hunger, and then bent down to taste the sensitive skin. 

Clark's breath clogged in his throat. He felt like he was burning up. If he didn't know better, he'd swear Lex was painting secret spells across his stomach, claiming him, branding him. The thought brought a moan from his mouth. Lex seemed to take this as encouragement, for his movements travelled down, lower and lower, until he paused, breathing gently across Clark's most sensitive flesh. The promise was almost more than he could bear, and he whimpered, " _Please, Lex_!" 

Feeling magnanimous, Lex closed that tiny space between them and licked, once, quickly. Clark's reaction was stellar. Arching off the bed, he cried out Lex's name again, begging him to end the torment. Lex, too, found he didn't want to draw this out. In one smooth move, he bent down and enveloped Clark in the heat of his mouth. The strangled sound Clark made in his throat was quite satisfying. Lex rewarded him by swallowing and taking him deeper into his throat. 

Clark hadn't ever imagined this could feel so good. The wetness, the heat, the suction and the squeeze of Lex's throat muscles. Clark vaguely wondered, with the few brain cells still working, how Lex managed to do this without gagging. Maybe he would find out if he did this for Lex. That thought drove him higher, but it was when Lex carefully clamped down with his teeth that Clark screamed and felt the rush that meant he was coming. 

Lex sat up looking very much like the cat that had swallowed the cream, licking his lips. Clark, still half dazed, thought the look was very becoming on Lex's face. It was the other look, the hungry look, the look that told him Lex was nowhere near satisfied, that had him shaking off the rest of his lethargy. He wanted to ask Lex 'What now?', but was afraid he'd sound stupid. Once again, it seemed Lex was able to read his mind. 

"Well, Clark, we still have two options here. You can follow my lead and take me in that pretty mouth of yours, or I can..." Instead of saying anything, Lex merely cocked a brow. His meaning was clear. Clark wanted to tell him whatever he wanted was fine by him, but he knew Lex wanted him to make the decision himself. 

"I...I want you inside me, Lex." He managed to say. 

"Inside you how, Clark?" Lex was making sure there were no misunderstandings. 

Gathering his courage, Clark told him, "I want your cock inside my hole. Where it belongs." 

Lex's eyes widened, then he smiled like nothing Clark had ever seen before. "Good, because I desperately want the same thing." Lex reached over to his bedside table and withdrew a small bottle of lube. He saw Clark watching him and whispered, "I know you're nervous, but you'll see there is nothing to be nervous about. For the first time you'll understand what all the fuss is about and you'll wonder why you waited so long." 

"What's it like, Lex?" Clark asked, enthralled by the tenderness in Lex's expression. He had expected many things from Lex, but not tenderness. How did someone who had known so little love and affection know how to give it so freely to others, to him? 

"Well, at first, it's a little scary, a little uncomfortable, because someone is seeing you naked, touching you where no one else ever has." Lex popped the lid on the bottle and squeezed some onto his hand. Reaching down, he ran slippery fingers down Clark's cock and over his balls. He continued to squeeze and caress as he spoke. "Then, you realise they're inside of you. No much, maybe just a finger." Actions suited words, and Lex pressed one finger into Clark, gently insistent. "You're not sure whether it feels good or not, but they don't give you a chance to decide before they slip into you a little more." A second finger joined the first. Clark gasped. "Now you start to feel the stretch, and you're surprised that it actually feels good. You want..." 

" _More_!" Clark interrupted him. 

"Yes, more." Lex agreed, his voice a decadent purr. "And instead, you find yourself empty once more." The fingers disappeared and Clark whimpered. Lex moved over him, getting into a better position. "But you understand when you feel them pressing at you once more, and this time you know it's all of them. Suddenly, they push..." Lex's voice broke off into a moan as he thrust slowly into Clark. He couldn't speak, not another word, not when he was finally, _finally_ exactly where he wanted to be. 

Clark cried out in shock. It seemed his impervious body wasn't quite so impervious as he had at first thought. He had assumed that no matter what Lex did, it wouldn't hurt him. In fact, he had been afraid he wouldn't be able to feel enough. Instead, it seemed, he had super sensation. Lex hadn't warned him about the burn, the feeling of being opened too wide, the instinct to clench and tighten up. " _Lex_ , oh god!" 

Lex leaned forward and kissed the tears that had seeped from beneath Clark's eyelids. "Easy, Clark. Hush now, relax." Lex kneaded the tight muscles at the base of Clark's spine and felt his lover begin to relax. "I'm sorry, Clark. I forgot how hard this can be. Just one more push..." Clark gave another strangled cry as Lex slipped passed the knot of muscle keeping him out, imbedding himself as deep as he could go, but it wasn't pain that forced the sound from his throat. It was exquisite pleasure as Lex seemed to hit a cluster of nerve endings that sent bliss shooting through him. 

From there it was so easy to get lost in the sensations, the sights, the sounds. Clark was torn between closing his eyes and focusing on what he was feeling, and keeping them open, glued to Lex. For Lex was amazing to watch. His body moved sinuously, with strength and control, and every time he arched into Clark, Clark was forced to arch in response. When Lex's eyes latched onto Clark's, there was no longer a choice for Clark. There was no way he could escape that gaze or control his reaction to it. His body jerked, and Clark knew he was about to come. 

"Now, Clark. Go over." Such was the command in Lex's gritty voice that Clark's body acted as if that was all it would ever require to peak. With a scream, Clark came, wave after wave of pleasure so intense it bordered on pain washing over him. Still, he managed to see Lex when he came, back arched, head thrown back, mouth open in a silent scream. Clark had never imagined anything like it. He had always been somewhat vocal when he climaxed, but Lex was totally silent. He collapsed on top of Clark, panting. Clark's arms came around him, and Lex burrowed into the big body beneath him. 

"Lex, that was so incredible. You were...wow, amazing." Clark knew he was babbling, but he felt so wonderful he didn't care. Maybe that was why he said what he did. "I love you so much." 

Lex stilled above him, and Clark held his breath. He released it in a gush when Lex replied, "I love you too, Clark. What we just did? I've never known anything like it, but even if we never did it again, I would still feel the same way about you." 

"Wow." Woefully inadequate word, but Clark was grinning from ear to ear. "You know, I thought this was a dumb experiment to start with, but now, I can see what the purpose was." 

"And what was that?" 

"It was a study in human nature. I found out I'm submissive, well to you anyway, and that you are dominant, but everyone already knew that. I also found out the lengths a person will go to for someone they love, and that no matter who you are, love matters." 

"Then you have learnt a lot today, Clark." Lex was smiling against his lover's chest. "Why don't you come back again tomorrow and we'll see what else you can be taught?" 

"Maybe I will." Clark replied. The thought of all the tomorrows he could have with Lex made him smile and sigh. They had a future. The stuff of legends... 

**NOTE TO READERS:**  
Hephaistion was considered to be Alexander the Great's lover from boyhood onward. (You might like to read "Fire from Heaven" by Mary Renault if you are interested in the life of Alexander.) Patroclos was likewise the lover of Achilles. When Patroclos was killed at Troy, Achilles was finally prompted to enter the battle himself to avenge his lover's death. Alexander made sacrifice to Achilles when at Troy. Hephaistion made sacrifice to Patroclos. It was, I think, one of the greatest romantic gestures of ancient times. Hyacinthus was the beloved of Apollo. Upon his death (a sporting accident caused by Apollo), he was memorialised by a flower, the Hyacinth, which is supposedly the colour of his blood. Nestor was the most favourite of Hercules' lovers. The poem Lex quotes to Clark is "Beauty to Beauty" by Rupert Brooke. 


End file.
